Don’t Remember Me

“Could it be that the child didn’t want to see us, therefore making you say that? Did you accept such an immature complaint?”

She asked a question that was not wanting an answer, and more on a statement.
The Duchess clicked her tongue in amusement.

“That’s why her birth mother is important.
Where did that lowly woman go…?”

“Duchess.”

The former queen, who was still silent, opened her mouth.
She cast a glance to Haven with a soft smile before continuing her words for the Duchess.

“Quench your anger, madam.
She is still a child, shouldn’t we, as adults, understand such behaviors?”

“There is nothing to understand in this situation, Your Majesty, the Queen.
If she had been rude in front of me, I would have shown kindness to her.
However, she was invited by Your Majesty, thus behaving that way is truly unacceptable!”

“You can teach her.
All you have to do is educate them so that she will not shame the name Guinters.
Isn’t that right, Haven?”

The Queen turned to him with a kind expression but after Haven glanced at her with his still usual expression, he gestured to his butler.
Then the butler sighed quietly as if that was better and approached him.

The glass served before him was filled with red wine.
The butler stepped back after doing his job and the wind interrupted their conversation as everyone’s eyes were on Haven.

However, he focused on savoring the aroma of the wine, tilting slightly, as if he had no interest in either Isabella or the Duchess.

The Duchess was impressed by his elegant actions and wanted to praise him yet he looked at her so coldly that the word cold was not enough to describe it.

“…!”

The Duchess of Ferrante involuntarily trembled.
She then bit her lip, grabbed the napkin tightly, and was hurt by the appearance of Haven.

“Call the princess.”

Will she try to restore her wounded pride? The Duchess ordered the butler again.
It was a more determined pitch than before.
The butler put on a puzzled expression in front of the repeated situation.

“Have a meal.
The dishes will get cold.”

“Only when the Princess gets here will I eat together with her.
She was not so ill that she can’t even get up and come down here to eat.”

The Duchess seemed unwilling to give up, and she looked into Heyburn’s blue eyes.
Haven this time looked at her for a while then chuckled.
Isabella’s and the Duchess’ bodies flinched at the same cold laugh.

“Get Flitta, Yanick.”

“… Yes, Your Highness.”

The butler hesitated for a moment at his master’s words, then lowered his head and replied.
Only then did the Duchess put on a satisfied smile.
She thought her cocky nephew had finally given in to her.

Of course, Haven didn’t care what she thought, he was just a bit annoyed at her.

time passes just like that.

She thought Princess was already here, but the Butler came into vision first.

“The princess has arrived.”

The Duchess and Isabella’s cool gazes simultaneously turned to the door.
The small child standing behind the butler slightly wavered at their gazes.

Seeing that, the Duchess snorted at her.
Just as the word ‘You can’t lie to me’ was about to come out of itself, the maid next to the child leaned over towards her child and whispered something.

Then, Flitta replied, “Yes,” and she quickly stood in front of Haven, the Queen, and the Duchess.

“… Hello.”

The child took hold of the hem of her skirt with both hands and slightly bowed with her knees bent.
Flitta tried hard to pretend that she was fine but the tension in the room made it hard for her and it was evident in her voice.

In a way, it was a natural reaction.
How can a child who is only five years old completely hide her true feelings? Moreover, in front of adults who look at her disapprovingly.

Even though she was trembling, she should have been proud of herself for standing resolutely and saying hello to the adults.

However, the former queen and the duchess both looked at such a child coldly.
There was no warmth anywhere in their gazes.
Their look towards the child was even sharp, as if they would catch even the slightest flaw.

“… Tsk.”

The Duchess, who had been examining Flitta for a while, clicked her tongue.
Contrary to the desire to find flaws, there was no big problem with the child’s manners.
Although her voice was rather small, she didn’t bother to point it out.
After not finding any flaw, the Duchess regretted it and clicked her tongue again, belatedly looking away from her.

“Dinner.”

Then, Haven’s low voice was heard.
She blinked her eyes, unaware that Haven was talking to her.
Then he turned his head to his child and asked again.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Ah… No, not yet.”

Flitta looked at him with her eyes wide open, and then she shook her head.

“I was going to eat with Rosé in my room.
But father called me here…”

Was the question of her father that surprising? Since Flitta was terrified of the former Queen and the Duchess, she answered her father with a flushed expression, cheeks dyed red, as if she was not scared at all.

“Come and sit down.”

Haven pointed to the seat next to him.
Isabella and the Duchess’s eyes widened.
But he looked back at the butler casually and continued.

“Bring the child’s meal.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The butler bowed his head in reply, then hurried to find the chef.
Flitta rolled her eyes, not knowing what to do, then she glanced back.
Rosé was standing behind the child, and when their eyes met, she smiled.

Flitta’s face lit up as if her heart had been put to rest by that smile.
The child took a deep breath and she moved to the seat next to her father.
Then Haven pulled a chair for the child to sit down with a nonchalant expression.

“… Nice to see you two.
When did you become so close?”

Isabella, who had been watching the scene quietly, forcefully smiled and spoke to him in a kind voice.
She turned her gaze to Flitta, who had just sat in her seat.

“I want to get to know Flitta too.
You didn’t even invite me.
That’s so bad.
Isn’t that right, Flitta?”

Isabella smiled lightly and said playfully.
Then she turned her words to Flitta.
The child was watching the chef’s dish being placed in front of her, and she blinked in embarrassment when her name was suddenly called.

“… Uh, I, I.”

The child’s pale green eyes quivered with an uneasy feeling.
Flitta blinked her eyes quickly, then turned around behind her and reached out for her hand.

“Ro, Rosé…”

The voice crying and calling out to Rosé was pitiful.
The moment Rosé was about to approach Flitta in response to the call, the Duchess’ sharp rebuke poured out.

“What an immature fool in a meal!”

“…!”

Hiccup.

Flitta hiccupped due to surprise hearing the Duchess yell.
The Duchess glared at Flitta and the child covered her mouth with both of her hands, trying to preventing her hiccups but it was not that easy.

“This is why she is such of from a lowly life…”

Click.

The Duchess clicked her tongue again and spoke in a cynical tone as the glass fell to the floor.
It was Haven’s wine glass that had dropped to the floor.

“Ah! I will clean it up right now.”

The butler saw the shattered glass and hurriedly opened his mouth.
Haven looked at the maids diligently following the butler’s order, then looked away.

A woman comforting a child who kept hiccups in surprise caught his eye.
Even in the midst of everyone panicking and not knowing what to do, she seemed to be focusing only on Flitta.

“Rosé.”

He called her in her low voice.
Rosé patted Flitta to soothe her and raised her eyes to the sound of the voice calling her.
His blue eyes, unable to fathom what he was feeling inside, looked straight at her.

“Take the child and go back to her room.”

“… Yes.”

Rosé hesitated for a moment, but soon answered meekly.
She thought it was a good thing for Flitta.
That she doesn’t have to listen to the cruel words with their mocking gazes.

“Princess, let’s go to your room…”

“Who wants to go back now? Sit down right this instant!”

The Duchess’s voice boomed.
Flitta took Rose’s hand and rose from her seat, but she was so startled by the voice that she slumped back into her chair.

“Hngg…”

A cry escaped from Flitta’s lips.
The fear she had barely endured over and over again burst out as if she couldn’t do it any longer.

“Princess.”

Rosé held the crying Flitta tightly in her arms.
She could feel Flitta trembling.

“We will go return to your room, Princess.”

“Hiccup, hiccup.”

Flitta sniffled and nodded while being hugged by Rosé.
Then she stretched out her arms and hugged her neck.
It meant hugging Rosé.
Rosé held the child who was acting childishly towards me.

“Let’s go.”

In the meantime, Rosé greeted Haven with Flitta in her arms.

Haven glanced at the child in Rosé’s arms for a moment, then nodded at her.
Rosé bowed her head again and turned her body to go out.

“Who dares go outside now?!”

At that moment, the Duchess raised her voice.

“How on earth do you educate employees? Haven, you’re not even doing anything but watching…”

“That’s it, Auntie.”

Haven pressed his fingers between his brows and raised his gaze at her.
The duchess trembled at the sharp gaze, and then she opened her mouth again.

“What do you mean by ‘That’s it’?”

“This is the limit where I can tolerate the rudeness of you, Aunt, no, Duchess Ferrante.”